Dik A. Daso


Recent stories by Dik A. Daso

Congress to USAF: Not So Fast on Your Reorg Plans

The Department of the Air Force’s plans to “reoptimize for great power competition” have gotten a skeptical reception in Congress, as lawmakers are asking for more information before any changes go into effect and asking for an audit of the decision-making process. 

Indo-Pacific Command Wants to Triple the Air Force’s Buy of Joint Strike Missiles

America’s Pacific forces want more missiles—and a lot of them—according to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s wish list for fiscal 2025. A standout of INDOPACOM’s unfunded priorities list—items not contained in the budget—is the Joint Strike Missile (JSM), an advanced standoff munition being developed for the Air ...

Ukraine’s Survival ‘In Danger’ if West Fails to Help, Austin Says

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III issued a grave warning March 19 of Ukraine’s chances in its war with Russia if the U.S. does not continue to provide military assistance. “Today, Ukraine's survival is in danger,” Austin told reporters. Austin's remarks came at a ...

Air National Guard No. 2 Nominated to Become New Director

President Joe Biden has nominated Maj. Gen. Duke A. Pirak to pin on a third star and become the next director of the Air National Guard, the Pentagon announced March 18. If confirmed by the Senate, Pirak will replace the current head of the ANG, ...

France Tapped as New Air Force Commander in Middle East

Maj. Gen. Derek C. France has been nominated to become the top U.S. Air Force commander in the Middle East, the Pentagon announced on March 14. If confirmed, he will have to deal with continued unrest in the region that has resulted in multiple rounds ...

Study Shows Higher Rates of Some Cancers in ICBM Personnel

The Air Force found increased rates of breast and prostate cancers in service members who worked on nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles compared to the general population, according to a preliminary study of data publicly released on March 13. “What we don’t know is whether these ...

Pentagon Clears V-22 to Start Flying Again After Three-Month Grounding

Naval Air Systems Command lifted the grounding order on its V-22 Osprey fleet on March 8, and Air Force Special Operations Command announced it would take a phased approach to get its CV-22 variant of the tiltrotor aircraft flying again after a three-month pause in ...

USAF C-130s Conduct Humanitarian Aid Airdrops Into Gaza

Three U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules aircraft conducted airdrops of humanitarian aid into Gaza alongside two Royal Jordanian Air Force C-130s on March 2. The U.S. aircraft took off from Jordan and dropped 66 bundles—22 per aircraft—with over 38,000 meals ready to eat (MREs). ...

Lawmakers Grill Austin Over Secret Hospitalization

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III insisted he “never intended” to keep his hospitalization following complications from prostate cancer surgery a secret, amid grilling from lawmakers over his failure to notify the White House, lawmakers, and the public of his medical situation, despite having ...

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